1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to applicator tubes for dispensing various fluid materials, such as liquids, pastes, emulsions, etc. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a child resistant safety cap for applicator tubes that relies upon intelligence rather than strength for its operation.
2. Information Disclosure Statement
The following United States patents represent the prior art in the general area of safety caps for containers:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,716,161 describes a safety closure for a medicine bottle or the like. The closure and bottle neck have cooperating lug and ramp means of the bayonet type. The closure is placed over the bottle neck, depressed into the neck and rotated relative to the neck to engage the lugs and ramps. To remove the closure, it is pressed downwardly to disengage the lugs and then rotated in the opposite direction. The closure is biased upwardly relative to the bottle neck by the engagement of an annular conical shoulder on the closure with upwardly turned fingers on a disc-like biasing element that is positioned between the top of the closure and the end of the bottle neck.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,121,727 describes a vial construction including a vial body portion, an open end on said body portion, a tapered rim surrounding said open end, a plug having an entry portion on the body portion adjacent to the tapered rim, an interference fit between the entry portion to render the connection therebetween fluid tight, a locking ring mounted on the outside of the rim and having a flange extending over the rim toward the open end of the container, cam locking members engageable with the flange to lock the plug to the flange, and a cutaway portion on the flange to permit disengagement between the flange and the cam locking members when the plug is rotated to a predetermined circumferential position on the locking ring.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,690 describes a cap and tube assembly device including a tube with a nozzle mounted on one end of the tube and having a thin wall section puncturable to provide a discharge on the other end of the nozzle. Also provided is a cap having a first end with an inside cross section sized to engage the nozzle and having an axially centered punctured spike positioned in a first position spaced from the thin wall and movable to a second position to puncture the thin wall. The puncture spike has a chisel shaped edge for forming a hole in the wall and a central bore for providing access to the contents of the tube. The cap has a second end enclosing an applicator for dispensing the contents of the tube, whereby the contents of the tube is transferred to the applicator through the bore of the puncture means.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,161,706 describes a twist and push snap-on, child restraint cap and container that has an inner cap seal which is easily snapped onto a neck of a container and an outer cap. The outer cap has a top and sidewalls and has a greater cross-sectional area than the inner cap, and receives and physically restrains the inner cap within the outer cap such that the inner cap may be moved upwardly and downwardly within it over specified distance. The outer cap includes a locking lug located on its inside wall adapted to snap over a circumferential bead located on the neck of the container. There is a stop located on the inside wall of the outer cap and is freely rotatable about the neck of the container except when in contact with stop(s) on the neck of the container at its level of rotation when the outer cap is on the container. A spring mechanism is located between the inner and outer cap so as to bias downwardly the inner cap. There is a bead located circumferentially about its neck with a break to allow the lug and stop of the outer cap to pass therethrough. The first stop is located on the neck near but not above or below the opening in the bead and a second stop, larger than the first, is capable of preventing movement of the outer cap when rotated with its stop against its second stop.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,583 describes a present invention that involves a child restraint closure for containers with threaded necks. It involves an inner cap and an outer cap with engages with one another by ratchets in order to close but these ratchets do not engage when an attempt is made to open the closure. The inner cap and the outer cap are generally cylindrical and have sides and a top, although the outer cap may have an open top. The inner cap has threads on its inside and is adapted to non-removably receive the outer cap so that the outer cap is rotatably engaged therewith. The outer cap is non-removably but rotatably mounted on an engaged with the inner cap. At least one keyway slot is located either on the outside of the inner cap or the inside of the outer cap and there is at least one keyway protrusion extending toward the keyway slot and located on whichever of the inner cap and the outer cap does not contain the slot. There are indexes on each of the caps and when they are aligned, the keyway protrusion and the keyway slot are to be aligned. The user will align the indexes or indicia and then lift up so that the protrusion fits into the keyway slot. In this manner, the outer cap engages the inner cap so that they are simultaneously rotated for opening. Upon closure, the protrusion will be pushed or dropped out of the slot and the ratchets will engage for proper closure.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,045,003 describes a liquid dosage dispenser includes a bottle having a housing or sleeve extending into the bottle and a plunger device having a through passageway extending into the housing for longitudinal movement therein. The housing includes an opening through which the liquid in the bottle can be drawn into the housing. A helical channel and one or more vertical channels are provided in the housing. The plunger device is rotatable within the housing to permit a follower extending from the plunger device to ride in the helical channel to move the plunger longitudinally in the housing. As the plunger moves upwardly within the housing, a preselected amount of liquid is drawn into the housing. When the follower is positioned in a vertical channel associated with a desired dosage level, the plunger may be forced downwardly to deliver the desired dosage through the passageway and out of the dispenser. Indents are provided along the helical channel at various vertical channel positions. When the follower encounters an indent, it snaps into the indent to indicate that a preselected dosage of liquid is available to be dispensed.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,082,565 describes an invention that is a child resistant cap and dispenser. It includes a dispensing container, a flange located nonrotatably connected on the container neck with one-way ratchets located thereon, said flange being non-rotatably connected to said container neck with one-way ratchets located thereon, in functional and cooperative contact with the flange ratchets to permit rotation of it about the neck in one direction and so as to prevent rotation in the opposite direction. The ring collar has an outer circular wall, with one of (i) at least one keyway track, and (ii) at least one keyway protrusion located thereon, the other being located on a cap, adapted to fit into the said ring collar. There is a spring mechanism located on at least one of the necks, the collar and the cap, to bias the cap upwardly away from the dispensing container when the cap is connected to the ring collar.
Notwithstanding the prior art, the present invention is neither taught nor rendered obvious thereby.